If you’re searching for books on Alzheimer’s disease, you’ll find an extensive list of choices. How can you narrow it down? Here is Alzheimers.net’s list of best Alzheimer’s books.
You’ll find Alzheimer’s books written from many different perspectives, including caregivers, family members and physicians. Reading as much as you can about the disease obviously helps you learn more about its stages. But it also provides support. The right book can lift you in times of great struggle and help you cope.
What books have people found most useful? Our Facebook fans submitted their favorites, and we added to the list.
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life (Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins): Considered the definitive guide on caring for people with dementia, The 36-Hour Day was originally published in 1981. Since then, it’s undergone several revisions to ensure that it provides the most up-to-date information on causes of dementia, how to manage early stages of dementia, finding long-term care options for people with dementia and more.
Boundless Grace: Devotions From a Caregiver’s Heart (Lois Carter): This author tells how faith in God inspired her in caring for her mother through the difficult stages of dementia. It includes descriptions of how dementia affects people differently and how looking for those cheerful moments in the midst of the struggle can make all the difference.
Creating Moments of Joy for the Person With Alzheimer’s or Dementia: A Journal for Caregivers (Jolene Brackey): A touching look at how to make the most of the moments you have with someone with Alzheimer’s, this book describes memory as a series of moments. And it helps educate people on the needs of a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Paul J. Meyer): The Chicken Soup series comes highly recommended by our Facebook fans. In this particular collection, you’ll find stories from seniors such as Erma Bombeck, Tom Landry and Roy Rogers, who share their experiences through the golden years.
Inside Alzheimer’s (Nancy Pearce): Aimed at caregivers, this book stresses the importance of connecting with Alzheimer’s patients. And how building these connections can help create a more supportive care community. It also provides exercises to help exhausted caregivers energize their spirits.
Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter’s Memoir (Martha Stettinius): Chronicling her experience as her mother’s caregiver for eight years, Stettinius candidly portrays the challenges she faced and how she sought help. She structures the story in five parts, each one dedicated to the type of care her mother required as her dementia progressed, and tells an inspiring story of what life as a caregiver is really like.
What are your favorite Alzheimer’s books?